Theme of the month - Culture

Copenhagen - Looks good, is good

Made in Denmark – in the world of design, these three words are tantamount to a knighthood. Danish designers regularly attract attention with their creative ideas. This should not really come as a surprise. Anyone spending the best part of the long, Nordic winters at homes, like the Danes do, naturally has an interest in making their own four walls as comfortable as possible. The best way to discover the richness of Danish design is to pay a visit to Copenhagen.

Dansk Design Center and Design Museum

Two museums, one mission: The Dansk Design Center shows design classics from Denmark, and stages changing special exhibitions on topical subjects (Does design solve the world’s problems? No, but it can help!). For people who prefer to possess rather than simply to look, the museum shop offers plenty of opportunity to spend. The Designmuseum also tells the success story of Danish industrial design, and showcases famous designers (Arne Jacobsen, Poul Henningsen, Jacob Jensen) and their works. At the same time, it traces the roots of applied arts back to the late Middle Ages, as well as explaining the importance of influences from the rest of Europe and Asia.

Hay

Welcome to the living room! Hay House has an inviting feel to it, almost like a cozy – admittedly, unusually stylish – apartment. Hay sells chairs, armchairs, sofas and tables, plus carpets and other home accessories, too. The ambitious brand aims for a “return to the innovative greatness” of the 1950s and ’60s, in other words to the time when many Danish design classics were born. The designers working for Hay are mostly young, their creations frequently simple, functional and at the same time elegant. Hay has even won some prizes. One award-winning specimen is the Nobody, a felt chair made entirely of fabric and completely recyclable. Another is Plopp, an inflatable metal stool you really shouldn’t pass by!

Designerzoo working design store

This zoo is definitely a “Do Touch”! At least, as far as the home accessories, jewelry, knitware and furniture are concerned. Bønnebordet (bean table) is a bestseller that was originally created by Designerzoo founder Karsten Lauritsen and has been touched a thousand times and sold many more times over. The designers aren’t quite so keen to be touched themselves, but they do welcome interaction with visitors. Eight designers work here, creating new objects, selling the products, inviting a stream of changing guest designers to join them and also exhibiting the works of Copenhagen-based artists. If you are interested in experiencing today’s vibrant Danish design scene up close, don’t miss Designerzoo.